Harriet McDougal
| Harriet McDougal Rigney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harriet Stoney Popham August 4, 1939 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Occupation | Editor |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Genre | Science Fiction and Fantasy |
| Notable works | The Wheel of Time, The Black Company, Ender's Game |
| Spouse | Robert Jordan |
Harriet Popham McDougal Rigney (born August 4, 1939) is a poet and an editor known for her work on several best-selling fantasy books, including the iconic Wheel of Time series written by her late husband, James Oliver Rigney, Jr., who is best known by the pen name Robert Jordan. Jordan often claimed that all major female characters in the Wheel of Time series (and some of the minor female characters) have at least one trait that was inspired by Harriet.
Harriet Stoney Popham was born on August 4, 1939, in Charleston, South Carolina, to Louisa McCord (Stoney) Popham and William Sherbrooke Popham. William S. Popham was a member of the St. Cecilia Society and a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II; before the war he was stationed for a time with his family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to head the NROTC program there.
Harriet's maternal grandmother died the year she was born, and Harriet's mother Louisa soon inherited the family home in downtown Charleston. The house was rented out, while Louisa and her daughter lived in the backyard carriage house. When William was made acting Commandant of the Charleston Naval Shipyard after the war, the family lived at the Yard briefly; but they soon returned to the downtown home, where Harriet spent the rest of her childhood.
Harriet attended Ashley Hall where she was a distinguished member of the French and Latin clubs and president of the student body. She was honored with the Headmistress' Award upon graduation in 1956, given to "that member of the senior class who has made the greatest contribution to the spirit and general welfare of Ashley Hall and best represents the ideal of the school." She entered college at Wellesley as an International Relations student; after a year she transferred to Harvard-Radcliffe, changing her major to English. She graduated in 1960 and returned to Charleston for a year; she became engaged and un-engaged three times before leaving to find work in New York City. There she married her first husband, Ed McDougal, in 1964; she gave birth to her son in 1968 and left her husband two years later.
...
Wikipedia